Lion Air Crash UPDATE: All onboard the the ill-fated Lion Air flight JT610, which crashed into the Java Sea on 29 October 2018, are feared to be dead, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in Indonesia.
After hours of searching, rescuers have so far retrieved body parts in nine body bags, according to Basarnas operation director Bambang Suryo Aji. Items such as handphones, handbags, identity cards and life vests have also been retrieved from waters near the site of the tragedy.
Bambang gave the sad news at a press conference, "My prediction is that nobody survived because the victims that we found, their bodies were no longer intact and it's been hours so it is likely 189 people have died."
It was earlier reported that Lion Air flight JT610 from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang had crashed into the sea off the island of Java, 13 minutes after taking off on Monday morning (Oct 29).
The flight was carrying 189 passengers including two infants and a child.
Lion Air crash: Plane lost contact after 13 minutes inflight
Indonesia's search and rescue agency said that flight JT610 lost contact 13 minutes after takeoff. The pilot reportedly requested to return to base shortly before losing contact. A tugboat leaving the capital's port had seen the craft falling.
The plane was headed for Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka off the coast of Sumatra island.
"It has been confirmed that it has crashed," spokesman for the search and rescue agency, Yusuf Latif, said. The plane was identified as a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
It was last recorded at 3,650ft and its speed had risen to 345 knots, according to raw data captured by Flightradar24.
"The plane crashed into water about 30 to 40 meters deep," he told AFP. "We're still searching for the remains of the plane."
There were 181 passengers – including two infants and one child – on board the flight. Two pilots and six crew members were also on board.
The finance ministry said around 20 of its employees were on the plane.
Lion Air crash: Hoping for a miracle
Debris thought to be from the plane, including aircraft seats, was found near an offshore refining facility, an official of state energy firm Pertamina said.
Wreckage had been found near where the Lion Air plane lost contact with air traffic officials on the ground, said Muhmmad Syaugi, the head of the search and rescue agency.
"We don't know yet whether there are any survivors," Syaugi told a news conference. "We hope, we pray, but we cannot confirm."
The search and rescue operation is still going on.
Our prayers go out to the families of those onboard as well as the passengers of the flight. Let's hope for a miracle...
(Source: The Jakarta Post)